Food Network chef makes guest appearance at Veritas

A recent food and wine pairing held at Veritas Restaurant in Sturbridge was the perfect event for people who like food, wine and celebrity chefs.

The Food Network's executive chef Rob Bleifer took center stage with a "Cooking and Wine Pairing Master Class" that paired food with the Food Network's signature wine label, entwine, created in partnership with Wente Vineyards in California.

At the Food Network, Bleifer oversees the kitchens of shows that have included "Iron Chef," "Next Iron Chef," "Food Network Challenge," "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" and "Chopped."

He is responsible for everything from food styling and photo shoots to location production and coordinating with chef/hosts, guest chefs and network departments.

The chef was a member of the blending team for entwine, which launched in 2011. He has been with the Food Network for 18 years. He graduated from The French Culinary Institute in New York. He also studied economics and has experience as a photographer.

Bleifer said that as a youngster he watched Julia Child, the Galloping Gourmet and Mr. Rogers' on TV. "My mother was addicted to cooking shows, and there weren't many channels before cable," said Bleifer.

"When I was older, and after several so-called careers, friends reminded me how happy I was when I cooked. I took the freelance job at the Food Network never thinking that it would lead to a long-term career."

Bleifer shared a few "secrets" from behind the scenes of the Food Network.

He said the day before an "Iron Chef" season begins, the test kitchen staff breaks into teams and has a test run in Kitchen Stadium.

"The ingredients we use are weird and different, but the competition is deadly serious," said Bleifer. "It's always everyone's favorite day at work."

The staff's goal is to make sure everything works when the real competition begins, said Bleifer, who revealed his teams have cooked with ingredients such as Doritos and breakfast cereals.

On "Chopped," Bleifer is responsible for the selection of the "dreaded combinations" that go into the show's mystery baskets. Contestants must create a dish using the ingredients in the basket.

When asked if he had a favorite chef, Bleifer answered Wolfgang Puck.

"Wolfgang is not only a great chef with a great palate, but he also is a very generous person," said Bleifer. "He's a culinary icon."

FYI: Wolfgang Puck created his first flagship restaurant, Spago, on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, and he has since built an empire consisting of restaurants, catering, etc.

The chef's favorite condiment is Hoisin sauce, and the first dish he learned to make was brownies. Besides his chef's knife, Bleifer can't live without his rasp grater. He listens to modern or classic rock in the kitchen. Single-malt scotch is his favorite alcoholic beverage.

If he wasn't in food, Bleifer said he would like to have tried being a Bison rancher.

He reminded guests to only cook with wine that is good enough to drink, and to salt the "heck" out of the water you cook pasta in. "You're not drinking the water, so don't worry," he said.

Want to get kids involved in cooking?

"Crush tomatoes by hand, and the kids will want to cook with you every time," said Bleifer.

The chef's cooking demo was a huge success and guests applauded the pairings of food and wine. The chef smiled and chatted during his entire appearance. Afterward, he met with guests who wanted to chat and get an autograph.

About entwine: Wente Vineyards and Food Network created wines that can be enjoyed on their own, or paired with different flavors of food. The Food Network logo is on the entwine bottle, and each showcases suggested pairings on the back label, taking the guesswork out of finding a tasty match.

Wente Vineyards is located east of San Francisco in the historic Livermore Valley. Since 1883, the Wente family has owned and operated the business.

The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sundays. Call (508) 459-0121.

John Piccolo of Piccolo's in Worcester opened Johnny Fugata this summer. The menu has 40 signature sandwiches, salads, pizzas and a selection of traditional and contemporary cuisine.

IHOP restaurants have brought back the "Scary Face" pancake and has a special Halloween promotion.

The "Scary Face" pancake joins the "Just for Kids" menu through October. The pancake comes with a whipped topping mouth, a glazed strawberry nose and a set of decorations: two mini-Oreo cookies to create eyes and eight pieces of candy corn to add teeth or fangs. Be creative!

IHOP restaurants on Oct. 31 will offer kids, age 12 and younger, a free "Scary Face" as a special treat for Halloween.

Jennifer Wright of Brew City said teams would help raise money for their favorite charities. Five people on each team will eat a Signature Burger as fast as possible, she said, and the team that wins the eating portion of the competition will receive 80 percent of the money raised for their charity. The team that has raised the most money for the event will receive 20 percent for their charity.

Each team has been asked to raise at least $250, according to Wright.

The proceeds from a raffle that evening will be split between the three non-winning teams, she said.

The Brew City team chose Why Me/Sherry's House in Worcester as its charity.

For more info about the event, call Brew City at (508) 752-3862.

Good luck to the teams.

An American Craft Brewfest will be held Oct. 3-6 at Rye & Thyme, 14 Monument Square, Leominster.

The festival is free with optional paid special events.

The kickoff party with live music will be Oct. 3 from 8 to 11 p.m. Featured breweries include Brooklyn, Blue Point and Kentucky. On Oct. 4: Sixpoint brewery beer and cheese pairings at 6 p.m., $15 per person. Live music begins at 8:30 p.m. On Oct. 5: beer cocktail demo with Mayflower Brewing begins at 5 p.m., $20 per person, which includes "samples and nosh." Sausage and beer pairings with Jack's Abby at 7 p.m., $15 per person. Live music begins at 8:30 p.m. On Oct. 6: porter and stout brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring live music, noon to 3 p.m. Featured breweries include Green Flash, Left Hand, Brekenridge and Wachusett. Call (978) 534-5900 for more info or visit www.ryeandthyme.com.